ISO-NE VP publishes letter in response to Boston Globe article

Anne George, ISO New England’s vice president of external affairs and corporate communications, has published a letter to the editor in response to a Boston Globe article that mischaracterized the ISO’s proposal to remove the minimum offer price rule (MOPR) from the Forward Capacity Market.

The ISO’s proposal, which received broad stakeholder support, will remove the MOPR in a way that recognizes the region’s clean energy goals, while mitigating potential reliability risks and price volatility.

George’s letter, the full text of which is below, was published in the Boston Globe on February 18, 2022.

Grid operator: Measured transition makes way for clean energy

A recent Boston Globe article mischaracterized the impact a proposal supported by ISO New England and a number of stakeholders will have on the development of renewable power (“Decision may set clean energy back 2 years,” Metro, Feb. 6).

After receiving feedback from stakeholders and public officials, the ISO proposed a measured transition to changes in market rules that govern how the resources needed to meet the region’s energy needs are secured. The proposal recognizes the region’s clean energy goals while mitigating potential reliability risks and price volatility.

The article maintains without citation that this transition will discourage renewable development. Yet not only do the ISO’s current markets provide opportunities for renewable energy, but the transition rules ease the path for potentially 2,000 megawatts of clean energy entering the market over a two-year period — a significant amount.

The article fails to mention the real factors that are limiting renewable development, such as permitting delays and legal challenges. These delays, coupled with energy supply chain challenges, mean that the region must be prudent about market changes that could drive the retirement of existing power producers needed during this clean-energy transition.

For more than a decade, ISO New England has worked to integrate clean energy into our operations, markets, and long-term planning, and we stand by our record.

Anne C. George
Vice President, External Affairs and Corporate Communications
ISO New England
Holyoke